Drawing Hope on the Skyline
by Maeve Morgan
Summary: From The Avengers to Civil War. Natasha knew this was going to be hard for Steve, as it would be the first Fourth of July he wouldn't spend with Tony. Or four birthdays Steve spent with Tony and one he didn't. Steve/Tony friendship, Romanogers. Off shot of To Build a Home.
1. 2012

**Disclaimer:** The Avengers, its characters and The Marvel Cinematic Universe belong to Marvel Studios and The Walt Disney Company, among many others. I'm only a fan, writing this for love of this film franchise and personal pleasure.

A.N.: Birthday fic for Steve Rogers! This was actually going to be a chapter of To Build a Home, but I decided to make this a standalone as the story went in another direction and then took a life of its own.

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**Drawing Hope on the Skyline**

_2012_

It had all started in pretty much the way things happened whenever Tony Stark was involved, mainly with the self-proclaimed genius-billionaire-playboy-philanthropist getting an idea into his head and running with it like the force of nature that he was. Really, no one was able to stop him once he got fixated on something and that was one of the first inherent aspects to Tony Stark that Steve Rogers learned of early in their friendship.

He'd been spending a lot of time with Tony and Pepper at Stark Tower after the events of the Battle of New York, getting better acquainted with them now that they weren't facing a sudden life and death situation with an army of aliens from outer space destroying their city, so there Steve was once more lounging around and talking to them in Tony and Pepper's private living room when Tony suddenly and unceremoniously interrupted the conversation his new friend and girlfriend were having about something that he clearly deemed no more important than what he had to say right then.

"Hold on, time out," Tony said, a perplexed frown forming between his eyebrows as he rose from the couch with his StarkPhone in hand, looking intently at something on the screen. "Are you telling me Captain America was _actually_ born on the Fourth of July? Spangles, tell me this is a joke and you finally proving to have a sense of humor."

Steve couldn't help the sigh escaping his lips as he hung his head in defeat, already seeing where this was headed. "No, Tony. It is not a joke. I _was_ born on July 4th 1918."

"Oh. My. _God_." Tony breathed out the words, the frown clearing from his face, being replaced by eyes that were sparkling rather mischievously and a grin that slowly erupted on his lips, his whole figure practically trembling with excitement as he took in this new information and all the potential it carried.

Pepper suddenly had a smile on her face that was part affectionate warmth for the handful of a man that was her boyfriend and part sympathetic understanding for the super soldier sitting next to her, as he was about to get sucked into the overwhelming vortex that was Tony Stark Obsessed With An Idea.

"JARVIS, where's my buddy Bruce? We need him here A-SAP to plan this year's Fourth of July," Tony said at once, placing his phone down on the coffee table and projecting a holographic screen in front of him, where he was already moving things around and making arrangements.

Ever since the battle, Bruce Banner had been staying at the Tower, hiding away from government and public alike as he worked with Tony in R&D and also helped Steve get better acquainted with 21st century technology and important aspects he'd missed out in the near 70 years he was trapped in the ice, as he had more free time in his hands than Pepper and was certainly less spastic and infinitely more patient than Tony for this task.

"Dr. Banner is in the research lab you've appointed as his own, sir," JARVIS replied immediately. "I'll relay the message that you need him here at once."

"Tony, did you not hear a word of what I just said?" Steve asked, frowning a little up at him.

"Yeah, yeah, you're taking a job with the crooked, goth pirate to work with Red, I heard it ─ good luck with _that_, by the way. Captain America and Black Widow, _partners_? _So_ many Cold War jokes there, too," Tony said dismissively as he continued tapping away at the screen in front of him. "That has nothing to do with the fact that this year's Fourth of July will be the biggest event I've ever planned, _ever_."

"I need to move to D.C. in the next couple of weeks." Steve said, still frowning at him and for the moment choosing to sidestep his comment about his upcoming work partnership with Natasha Romanoff. "I'm not going to be here for the Fourth of July."

Tony stopped typing away at once, head comically snapping to look at Steve as if he'd been slapped in the face and an exaggerated breathless indignant sound escaping from his lips. "I can't believe you want to deprive me of the right to throw you a patriotic birthday bash the likes of which you've never seen before in your entire life. We are the Avengers, you are Captain America and _your birthday is on the Fourth of July_. We are celebrating, buddy." He finished in a tone that left no room for an argument.

The super soldier could only gape at him, still rather unused to Tony's shenanigans as Pepper sat beside him torn between hiding a laugh behind her hand at the expression on Steve's face and rolling her eyes at Tony's histrionics. Thankfully, right at that moment the elevator doors opened revealing a harried looking Bruce Banner, who was adjusting the glasses on his face and walking quickly up to them.

"I'm here, what's the emergency?" He asked, looking around almost as if expecting Loki to suddenly jump out at them from behind a piece of furniture.

"Did you know Capsicle's birthday is on the _Fourth of July_?" Tony turned to him then, eyes ablaze with excitement that was almost taking on a hint of mania.

Bruce stopped and stared at him for a moment, completely thrown by what he considered quite a non-sequitur question. "Yes," he finally said. "It's a known fact since World War II. Tony, wha─?" He lifted his hands, palms up in a gesture of bewilderment as a frown formed between his eyebrows.

"So everyone knew this and no one thought to bring it up to me?" Tony rolled his eyes, then quickly went back to typing away at the holographic screen in front of him. "It's called priorities, people. Bothering me incessantly about unimportant matters all day long, I tell you…" He muttered to no one in particular, though Pepper did narrow her eyes at that thinking it was probably directed at her, but chose to ignore it for the moment.

"And what do you mean, it's a known fact?" Steve asked, frowning in confusion at that statement.

"Well, it's in your Wikipedia page and in the exhibit dedicated to you at the Air & Space Museum in D.C., so…" Bruce told him with a simple shrug.

"There's an exhibit in the Museum about me?" Steve's eyebrows shot up in his forehead at this. "And what is Wikipedia, again?" He furrowed his brow once more. He knew he'd heard the term before, but it got lost in the jumble of information he'd received over the last month since waking up in the 21st century.

"Yes, there's a whole wing in the Smithsonian covering Captain America and the Howling Commandos," Pepper told him with a smile. "It's currently being updated to cover how you were found earlier this year and the Battle of New York."

"And Wikipedia is that online collaborative encyclopedia page I told you about, on the internet," Bruce added, used to patiently answering his questions, and Steve's confused frown cleared again. "And why are we discussing Steve's birthday, exactly?" He asked, focusing back on Tony.

"Because we need to plan this year's Fourth of July, of course," Tony answered easily, still rapidly typing away at the screen in front of him. "We can celebrate Capsicle's defrosting, his actual birthday and how we saved New York all in one patriotic themed party that will be the greatest in the history of this great nation. Oh yeah, and that thing about escaping the clutches of Her Majesty or whatever. Pep, do we have the number of whoever's in charge of the fireworks show in the mayor's or governor's office? I'll obviously need to have a chat with them."

"O-kay," Pepper said, getting up to her feet and stepping up to him. "I think we're getting ahead of ourselves here, Tony. I mean, your birthday is in a couple of weeks, don't you want to talk about that first?" She tried diverting his single-minded focus from this, as she could see Steve growing exponentially uncomfortable with each word coming out of Tony's mouth, and she hoped appealing to his ego would do the trick.

"Nope," Tony said, still typing away. "Already did the last-birthday-bash-of-a-lifetime, remember? Got drunk in the suit, went to blows with Rhodey, nearly destroyed the mansion in Malibu, you got mad and wouldn't talk to me for days until I almost died and saved your life?" He said, barely noticing as his girlfriend rolled her eyes at this and Steve and Bruce raised their eyebrows in surprise, as they had no idea what he was talking about. "Which reminds me…" Tony said, suddenly opening a secured phone line on the screen and dialing a number, which picked up almost immediately. "Agent Romanoff, miss me already?"

"What is it, Tony?" Natasha's short and clipped answer filled the air in the room for them all to hear.

"Any chance you can drop whatever shady business you're conducting for your spy games and join us at the Tower to talk about Fourth of July?" He asked without preamble.

There was a pause and then Natasha's answer came through. "You found out about Rogers's birthday, didn't you?"

"So literally _everyone_ knew yet you all kept this from me?" Tony said, throwing his hands up exasperatedly and turning to look around at his friends.

"No one kept anything from you," Natasha drawled out in response. "It's public knowledge and it was in the files we gave you when you were asked to consult about the Loki situation. Not our fault you have the attention span of a toddler." They could actually hear the smirk in her voice.

"Yeah, well, I had more important things to focus on back then, like reading up on thermonuclear astrophysics and trying to prevent the end of the world or something to that effect," Tony replied unconcernedly, rolling his eyes a little. "Now that that's done, we can get back to the actual interesting stuff. So, are you coming over? Oh, and could you bring Legolas, too? I expect he's with you wherever you are, pretending to be someone else's innocent assistant or whatever."

Steve and Bruce exchanged another confused look at that, while Pepper groaned a little and put one hand over her face in exasperation at Tony's insistence in trying to piss off a deadly assassin. "Barton is on extended leave," Natasha simply replied back. "And no, I can't go to the Tower now. Why do you need me there, anyway?"

"Well, seeing as you once so aptly played the part of the attentive assistant, I thought you would be perfect to help me throw the greatest Fourth of July party in all the history of the world," Tony said, and now he was the one with a smirk on his lips.

"So first of all, no amount of money would get me working as your assistant ever again," Natasha said, apparently easing into verbally parrying back with Tony as if they'd done this for a lifetime now and hadn't gotten reacquainted just a couple of weeks prior after nearly two years of no contact. "And second, don't you have an _actual_ assistant to do just that?"

"Nope, she quit last week," Tony said, shrugging his shoulders out of habit, as Natasha wouldn't be able to see the gesture.

"Imagine our surprise," Pepper commented sarcastically. "Tony, stop bothering Natasha with this. I'm sure she has more important things to do."

"What could possibly be more important than helping me plan Cap's birthday bash?" Tony mock-gasped in affected outrage, putting a hand over his arc reactor.

"Life and death situations? Matters of national and/or international security?" Bruce muttered, raising an eyebrow at him.

"Pretty much anything other than planning a birthday party," Steve added, frowning his brow and crossing his arms sternly over his chest. "Besides, I don't even want a party."

"Yeah, that's not really up to you," Tony waved his hand dismissively at him, as if whatever Steve did or did not want would have any applicability in the matter. "Trust me, this is happening."

"Are we sure that's a good idea, Tony?" Bruce interjected. "I mean, big flashing lights, exploding noises overwhelming our senses…" He didn't know how Steve was handling any possible PTSD leftover from WWII, his going down in an airplane and being trapped in the ice for so many decades or the more recent battle against Loki and the Chitauri, but he was pretty sure Tony was going through something from what he'd picked up so far of his insomnia, and there was no accounting what it would do to him and The Other Guy. It could quickly become a recipe for disaster.

"_Yes_, I'm sure," Tony replied firmly, finally growing annoyed at all the resistance he'd encountered so far. "Look, what is even the point of going through all the trouble of dragging nuclear warheads through wormholes into space to fend off alien armies if we can't stop and celebrate the good things in our lives?"

That gave the whole group pause, as they hadn't expected Tony to sound so incredibly vulnerable and honest at that moment, even if his words were carried out in his typically brazen speech. All at once, Steve's stiff posture seemed to melt a little before this and he sighed. "Okay, you're right." He gave Tony a small smile.

And just like that, with Steve's rather coerced approval, they all fell to the whims of Tony Stark and helped him plan the most awesome Fourth of July celebration/birthday bash that New York had ever seen, according to Tony himself.

Seeing as on the occasion the Tower would be in the midst of their renovation plans following the damage taken during the battle against Loki and several adjustments Tony and Pepper had planned, including a party lounge and personalized apartments for each of the Avengers, they decided a different venue would need to be used for the party. After some back and forth as they contemplated their options, they settled on a sunset party off the coast of Manhattan aboard Tony's boat, which Steve felt was a wildly inadequate word for the vessel, as it looked closer to a small cruise ship.

Despite his early protests against the idea, Steve had to admit the celebration was a very welcomed and happy occasion when the date actually came upon them. He and Natasha flew up from D.C. and joined Tony, Pepper, Bruce and Rhodey, who he'd been introduced to sometime in the past couple of months ─ and several other people he had never seen before but always seemed to be around for Tony's parties ─ and they sailed off, being attended to by waiters with the best food and alcohol that money could afford. Thor was back in Asgard, dealing with the affairs of his family and the Nine Realms, and Clint was still on his extended leave, resting and recovering in some secret location none of them were allowed to know (Steve had a feeling Natasha actually knew where that was, though), so their little Avengers group wasn't exactly complete, but Steve felt surrounded by people who genuinely seemed to care for him and happier than he would've expected a few months before when he'd woken up abruptly in a new century with his life completely upside down.

Tony had surprised him by hiring a dancing company to perform "Star Spangled Man", Captain America's theme for the USO's tour on the efforts to promote war bonds all over the country back in the 40's before he'd been able to actually lead the Howling Commandos in the war. Steve, in turn, surprised them all by laughing in delight and enjoying the show with his new friends, for once not having to be up on the stage performing with the girls and just free to be himself.

After sunset, they all gathered on the deck to watch the superb fireworks show that Tony organized over the Brooklyn skyline. Taking note of Bruce's concerns with potentially triggering anyone's PTSD, they got far away enough that the noise didn't bother them and they could simply enjoy the beautiful colors and shapes that were drawn on the backdrop of the darkening skies.

As he stood leaning his forearms on the railing next to Tony, who had one hand clapped warmly on his shoulder, Steve turned to him with a genuine smile. "Thank you, Tony. This was actually a very nice day."

"My pleasure, Cap." Tony smiled back at him, only slightly slurring his words, which Steve thought was impressive, considering the amount of alcohol he had consumed throughout the day. "Happy birthday, Steve." He lifted his glass of champagne at him in a toast. The super soldier mimicked the gesture then they both turned back to continue watching the fireworks being painted in the sky above them.


	2. 2013

**Disclaimer:** The Avengers, its characters and The Marvel Cinematic Universe belong to Marvel Studios and The Walt Disney Company, among many others. I'm only a fan, writing this for love of this film franchise and personal pleasure.

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**Drawing Hope on the Skyline**

_2013_

"What in the world could possibly be taking you both so long?"

Natasha rolled her eyes to herself at hearing that instead of a proper greeting when she finally picked up the phone that had been vibrating on top of her vanity with "Tony Stark" displayed on the screen, turning on the speakerphone function.

"Relax, Tin Man." She drawled out in response, placing the phone back on the vanity. "We said we'd only get there mid afternoon, I believe we still have a few hours to go." She turned her right arm, checking the time on the delicate silver watch wrapped around her wrist and noting she was right on schedule.

"But why couldn't you get here last night?" Tony practically whined back at her. "Bruce is already here."

"Bruce is always there." She said carelessly as she checked on the reflection in the mirror and her perfectly straight tresses of bright red hair.

"I heard that," came the doctor's voice faintly protesting in the back and she smiled to herself.

"Whatever." Tony interjected just as carelessly. "Rhodey just got here as well."

"We'll be over as soon as we can." She said patiently, opening her make-up palette and going methodically through the process. "Rogers got roped into going to this Fourth of July luncheon at the White House with President Ellis, so we'll have to stop there before joining you at the Tower."

"Ooh Black Widow is going into the White House? How _exciting_! Try not to break anything or you know, kill anyone."

"_Hilarious_, Tony." She muttered darkly.

"Sorry." He muttered back, seeming abashed at the insensitive joke, but in another moment he returned to his normal, exuberant self. "But hold on, I almost got sidetracked here. Cap is taking you out on a _date_?"

"It's not a date." She said evenly, resisting the urge to roll her eyes. "I'm doing him a favor."

"Uh-huh." He drawled out, voice full of innuendo. "I'm just picturing exactly what kind of _favor_ you'll be doing him."

"_Tony_." She simply said, a dangerous warning in her low voice.

"Seriously, I don't buy this whole let's-get-Cap-a-girlfriend thing you started last year." He argued back good-humoredly, completely ignoring her thinly veiled threats. "You keep throwing several girls his way and he takes up none of your suggestions, and when it comes a time when he could _actually_ take someone out, who is going with him? Oh yeah, _you_!"

"It's not a date." She reiterated, wondering why she was indulging Tony Stark in this discussion in the first place, yet she carried on talking to him as she applied her make-up. "I'll be acting as a buffer for him with all those political types. He was nervous about making a fool of himself somehow and he knows I can handle any situation."

"Hum, _sure_, let's say I buy that." Tony muttered, his voice making it clear he didn't buy that. "How did he get roped into that, anyway? I thought he hated this sort of thing."

"He does, but you know how politics work." She said, lightly smoking her eye shadow. "Apparently Fury owed someone a favor or something and he asked Steve to do this in exchange for us getting the long weekend off, so that's now on our schedule for today."

"These people are ridiculous." He huffed out in exasperation. "Don't they realize he is a _person_ and not just Captain America? He's not government property! They can't keep forcing him to do stupid shit like this, especially on a day that is not only a national holiday but his birthday as well."

"Says the man who first forced a celebration on him last year." She quipped back with a smirk as she applied another layer of mascara on her eyelashes, making her green-blue eyes stand out.

"Hey, I did that out of the goodness of my heart and because, yes, I love to throw parties, but mostly to get him to relax and have a good time, for once. Those suits are only using him to gain political cachet and for the photo ops."

"True, but there's nothing to do about that now. We'll be there when we get there. And we'll stay over for the long weekend, so you'll have plenty of opportunities to make eyes at him."

"No need to be jealous, Red. I'm sure he'll make eyes at you, too."

"_Bye_, Tony."

Natasha cut the call midway through his answering laughter and applied a coat of lipstick on her lips. Surveying the final result in the mirror with a critical eye, she nodded minutely to herself in approval. Her make-up was light and classic, appropriate for the occasion and her outfit of matching grey suit and skirt, made in silk to endure the warm July weather.

Sometime later she was picking up Steve at his apartment in her Corvette. She had to admit he looked good in his charcoal pinstripe suit with the white shirt and blue tie that brought out the color of his eyes. He smiled in greeting as he got in the passenger seat. "You look nice."

"You clean up nicely as well," she said, giving him an obvious appraising once-over and a side smirk as she got back into traffic and headed for the White House.

"Thanks." He said, blushing a little, as he usually did when she'd provoke him. "And thank you for coming with me."

"What are partners for?" She said easily as she gave him a genuine smile.

It turned out that Steve was a natural at nearly charming the pants off everyone gathered for the President's luncheon. The First Lady was instantly smitten with him and the political figures seemed to find his honest, straightforward personality refreshing and even amusing in comparison to their agenda-driven social circles full of _quid pro quos_ and backroom negotiations. She didn't need to rescue him once and they actually had a nice time for their luncheon at the White House.

In due time they were back in her Corvette headed to New York for the long weekend. As they got into the car, Natasha sat behind the wheel and stepped on it, taking I-95 up north while Steve divested himself of the jacket and tie, rolling up his sleeves and opening the top buttons of the shirt to get more comfortable. She probably broke the speed limit the whole time they were on the road, but she didn't seem too concerned about it and a few hours later they entered the parking garage of the newly christened Avengers Tower. They rode the elevator up to the personal floors and Tony was already waiting for them impatiently when the doors opened into the lobby.

"Finally! I was worried you wouldn't get here in time." He said, throwing his hands up in exasperation.

"There are still hours to go before sunset," Steve noted with a slight frown. "Why are you so anxious?"

"Well, it's _Tony_," Natasha quipped with a quick eye-roll.

"Because this is our first Fourth of July at the new Tower and I want it to be perfect." Tony ignored her remark, stepping up and thrusting two glasses of champagne into their hands that he'd grabbed off a side table. "Why are you two so dressed up?"

"We were at the White House, remember?" Natasha rolled her eyes at him again. "And we came straight over because you were being such a pain about us not getting here soon enough." She took the offered glass and walked off into the hallway, saying something about going to her apartment to change into comfortable clothes.

"How about you? Getting changed?" Tony asked as the two of them headed for the party lounge.

"Nah, I think I'm good," Steve shrugged his shoulders easily and they walked up to Bruce and Rhodey, joining in the conversation and the festivities.

A little while later, Natasha joined them once more, having changed into a pair of denim shorts and a loose-fitting white shirt. She had her StarkPhone in her hand and passed it to Steve with a smile, who took it and was surprised to find Clint in the video-chat.

"Hey, Cap," he grinned at him. "Wanted to give you a quick call to wish you a happy birthday, man!"

"Thanks, Barton." Steve smiled back at him.

"Hey, how come you're not here?" Tony demanded suddenly, angling the phone so that Clint could see him as he stood next to Steve.

"Sorry, guys. I'm on assignment in an undisclosed location and I couldn't get back," he gave them an apologetic shrug back. "Maybe next year I can join you all." He said his goodbyes and winked at Natasha before hanging up, as she was the only one who was aware he was actually with his family enjoying vacation somewhere in the Caribbean.

"You secret agent types are no fun," Tony muttered as he frowned in annoyance.

"At least Nat managed to be here," Bruce commented with a smile.

"Only because I'm partners with Captain America and Fury gave us the long weekend off," Natasha shrugged casually. "Otherwise we might've been called away on a mission as well."

"In that case, let's make sure we enjoy this while we have you with us," Tony said, motioning with his hand at a bartender who promptly came over bearing a tray of shots. "You two need to catch up." He motioned with his head to the newcomers.

"You do remember I can't get drunk, right?" Steve said, arching an eyebrow up even as he took the offered shot glass.

"And you do remember I'm Russian, right? I can drink all of you under the table," Natasha raised an amused eyebrow as well. "Rogers being the likely exception, of course."

"I know, but it's still fun trying to make it happen anyway," Tony grinned back at them.

"_Za zdarovye_," the redhead murmured with a smirk, throwing her head back as she downed her shot and wiggling her eyebrows up in a silent challenge.

Once more Steve was rather impressed with the amount of alcohol Tony could consume and still stay coherent and upright, even exhibiting his usual genius and smart mouth, but what got his attention this time was how Natasha could match him shot for shot while apparently remaining as sober as he was, all the while sporting that Cheshire cat smirk as if she had a secret no one else knew ─ which was probably the case, all things considered.

A few hours later, they watched from the open pool floor at the top of the Tower the light show on the Manhattan night sky. It was quite a spectacular show, Tony outdoing himself with fireworks that drew several shapes in the air paying homage to the Avengers, like Iron Man's mask, Black Widow's hourglass or Captain America's shield.

When the fireworks finally stopped and they got back into the party lounge a sudden shower of balloons in red, white and blue rained down from the ceiling as multiple streamers whizzed overhead and Pepper rolled over a ridiculously huge birthday cake with exactly 95 candles on top of it, all already lit up and in danger of becoming a fire hazard.

"It's not every day you turn 95," Tony grinned and clapped Steve on the back.

He could only stare back at Tony for a moment. Last year Steve had somehow managed to convince him not to get him a birthday cake or presents and just have the party with everyone, though the billionaire eventually did manage to surprise him with the presentation of "Star Spangled Man" and the dancing girls. So he guessed this year this was his surprise.

As the people around them burst into a chorus of "Happy Birthday" Steve couldn't help but laugh and shake his head at him a little, blushing softly and attempting to hide his misty eyes for a moment. He felt his chest tighten a little in a painful yet good way, and this impossibly warm feeling was also taking over his entire being as he smiled and celebrated with his friends.

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A.N.: "_Za zdarovye_" is commonly used by Russians when toasting as a sort of "cheers!", meaning "to your health" ─ at least according to a couple of articles and papers I found online, as no, I'm not Russian.


	3. 2014

**Disclaimer:** The Avengers, its characters and The Marvel Cinematic Universe belong to Marvel Studios and The Walt Disney Company, among many others. I'm only a fan, writing this for love of this film franchise and personal pleasure.

* * *

**Drawing Hope on the Skyline**

_2014_

"Tony?"

"_Red_," the billionaire half grumbled, half whined in reply as he recognized Natasha's voice, still only partially awake as he answered her call via JARVIS while remaining lying down in bed. "Do you know how rare it is for me to actually sleep? And what were the odds that you would call me right on the one night I decided to go to bed early? I don't think that's ever happened before. _Ever_!"

"Sorry. I'll be out of your hair." Natasha said quietly, a hint of amusement in her voice. "Just do me a favor? Have JARVIS send me a Quinjet."

"Where are you?" He sat up immediately, going into alert mode and already halfway out the bed and ready to summon a suit. "What happened? Are you in trouble?"

"I'm fine." She drawled out unconcernedly. "I'm in Russia and I just realized today is already July 04th over here."

"_What_?" Tony exclaimed exasperatedly, sitting back down on the bed. "What the hell are you doing in the motherland?"

"It's personal." She paused, then decided to add something else as she knew he'd be annoying her about it if she just left it at that. "I was tracking a lead on this independent investigation and I lost track of time."

"This is about you dumping those stupid files of yours on the web when you took down HYDRA and SHIELD, isn't it?" He sighed and rolled his eyes at this. "You know, Cap has been going on and on about how he doesn't like you trekking across Europe on your own on whatever personal mission you got going on."

Natasha declined to answer his question in typical fashion by simply ignoring it and his comment about Steve. "If you send me the Quinjet right away and with the time difference I can get back in time for the party."

"Sure." He said, rubbing his hands over his face, not really having the energy to get into an argument with her just then seeing as his brain was still catching up with what was happening. "Just send me the exact coordinates of where the jet should land."

"Thanks, Tony."

Natasha disconnected the call and sat back on the edge of her bed. It was about 7:00 in the morning in Volgograd, which was her current location, and she'd woken up about an hour ago, realized what day it was as she had breakfast and thought about what to do and before she'd even consciously decided anything, she was on the phone with Tony. With the nine hour time difference and the Quinjet's heightened flight speeds she should be able to make it back in time to watch the fireworks with them.

It was a last minute decision and Natasha Romanoff wasn't the last-minute-decision type of person. She knew how to roll with the punches, of course, and she always had escape routes and backup plans in her life. But her decision to go alone on her trek across Europe, as Tony had put it, was made months ago and quite deliberately. Yet here she was, changing all her carefully arranged plans on a whim.

After taking down the Insight helicarriers, HYDRA and SHIELD with Steve back in spring, Natasha had pretty much disappeared and spent a couple of months laying low at the Barton's farm in Iowa. She'd needed to process everything that had happened and she felt safe with Clint's family. SHIELD was gone, so she had to figure out some new employment, but more important than that, all her secrets were out on the internet now. So when summer came she'd made her way to the old continent to handle all the trouble that had stirred up. It was always best to get ahead of these things before trouble came after her and other people got caught in her messes.

In addition to dealing with old enemies and dangerous people who held grudges, she was also doing a little digging on her own past. Her first memories had always been of the Red Room, but she knew she was born somewhere and wanted to see what she could find of her family. And that was how she'd found herself in Volgograd, her birthplace. There was nothing to show, really; old records about a burned down house and a graveyard with tombstones so worn down that she couldn't even make the names properly. Still, she lingered around, trying to find anything else. But when she woke up and realized what day it was, she'd been filled by this overwhelming want to get back stateside for the festivities. Which was rather ridiculous, because she'd already decided that she wouldn't be there this year. Yet now she was packing her bags and texting the coordinates of her location to Tony.

She spent the hours waiting for the Quinjet's arrival going through her files on her personal investigation and other matters she'd solved in the last couple of weeks since she'd gotten to Europe. She still had some loose ends to deal with, so she should be returning to Europe after the party. As she reviewed her plans, she couldn't help but think back on why she'd decided to do this by herself.

Steve had offered her help as soon as he heard she was headed for Europe, of course. But he was part of the reason she'd wanted to do this alone. Working together in D.C. for the past two years and especially when they went on the run and brought down the Insight helicarriers, she realized they'd gotten too close. He'd somehow gotten in through her walls, her masks of lies and her armors to see the Natasha Romanoff that existed under the Black Widow and that notion terrified her.

He'd told her he trusted her with his life and he meant it. She didn't know how to express just how important this was, as she wasn't used to people trusting her. Clint trusted her, but he understood her, as they were cut from the same cloth. They'd lived through the same things and saw the world through the same lenses. They were spies, agents, specialists. She was the knife in the dark, the bullet to the head, the poisoned lips of the kiss of death. And Steve Rogers ─ even before the figure of Captain America and his shield ─ was all about trust and honor and faith and courage and strength. Standing up to do what was right, always getting back up and not knowing when to quit. He was the absolute embodiment of everything that is _good_. And she'd been raised, trained, _made_ to be his exact opposite. Yet he _trusted_ her. He trusted _her_.

Seeing him near death on that riverbank on the Potomac had her heart in an icy grip of absolute fear, which was made worse while she'd waited at the hospital during his surgery as there was nothing she could do about it and she'd felt the urge to bolt as far away as possible. Even after he'd recovered completely, she was still running. She'd gone all the way across the globe, back to her motherland, that's how much she was running. Yet when she woke up today and saw what day it was, she felt this equally strong urge to be back there just to wish him a happy birthday.

She thought about all of this, drifting in and out of sleep on the long flight to the Avengers Tower once the Quinjet reached Volgograd and then turned right back towards New York City with her. According to JARVIS, they should be able to reach their destination a few hours before sunset and she was glad she would manage to enjoy the party and catch the fireworks. In her years since defecting the KGB and joining SHIELD, she'd never really felt all that American to celebrate the Fourth of July. All that pride and patriotism and celebratory mood never quite reached her, she felt too far removed from the situation to truly understand or enjoy it. But this was different now and the date had become something else entirely for her. It wasn't about a national holiday or a battle for freedom that had been fought hundreds of years ago. It was about _her_ battles and being with the Avengers, with her _friends_, something she'd thought she would never have for so many years in her life. It was about celebrating Steve's birthday and the fact that they would all be there, together.

The sun was still a little high on the horizon as the Quinjet approached the Avengers Tower in midtown Manhattan. Natasha stepped up to the cockpit to look at the building as JARVIS locked the airship in for landing and she noticed how the party lounge was in full-swing, many people visible through the floor-to-ceiling windows, a few heads turning curiously and some even pointing outside as the Quinjet circled the Tower towards the landing aerial pad.

As the Quinjet's ramp lowered down, she was surprised to find Steve standing out there, soft smile on his face, hands tucked casually into the pockets of his jeans. "I gotta say, of the birthday surprises Tony has sprung on me over the years, this is definitely the nicest one." He told her as she stepped up to him.

"Well, I hate to break it to you, but this one was all me," she smiled up at him. "The day is not over yet, so he might still pull something on you."

"This will still be the nicest surprise," he reiterated with a casual shrug, the smile on his lips becoming brighter.

She then reached up and wrapped her arms around him and he readily returned the gesture. "Happy birthday, Steve." She whispered against his ear and when they pulled back she noticed how his blue eyes were shining with warmth. "Thank you, Nat."

"There she is!"

They pulled apart and turned to the door to find Tony walking up to them, all smiles and giddy excitement as he threw his arms around them and steered them back into the Tower. "You got here just in time, Red!"

"Again with the anxiety, Tony?" She raised an amused eyebrow at him as they got into the party lounge.

"What can I say? I like it when the whole gang gets together," he told her with a grin and a shrug, and she frowned a little in confusion as she looked around the room.

The regulars at this yearly event were there, of course: Bruce, Rhodey and Pepper. Natasha was surprised to see other familiar faces had joined them as well among the usual crowd of Tony's party-goers. There stood Maria Hill talking animatedly with Sam Wilson. Off to one corner she saw Thor and Dr. Jane Foster standing together and looking out at the view while Jane's assistants Darcy and Ian were doing shots on one of the upper levels. And walking up to them with a big grin on his face was Clint Barton.

"Hey," she smiled back at him, feeling rather surprised that her best friend was there with them. "You're here!"

"Yeah," he chuckled as he pulled her into a hug and whispered in her ear. "Tony called me last night and said that since you were coming all the way from Russia, I _had_ to come, too. Couldn't get out of that one."

"What about…?" She trailed off, lifting an eyebrow in curiosity.

"She made me come," he shrugged his shoulders, then leaned in once more to say in a quiet voice. "Laura is with the kids visiting her parents. I'll join them tomorrow." Then he pulled back once more and grinned at her. "So tonight, I'm all yours, baby!"

Natasha laughed in delight at that, feeling so glad that she'd acted on that impulse to make the long trip back to the US and be there today. It was the first time since the battle in 2012 that all the Avengers were gathered again and also the first time they all came together for the Fourth of July and Steve's birthday. She would've been really sad if she had missed this.

Tony then immediately dragged Natasha over to the bar to do shots with her. She merely laughed, not quite understanding his obsession with trying to get her drunk when year after year he never succeeded with his mission. Clint chuckled as he followed them and Maria Hill sat at the stool next to Natasha as Steve and Sam walked out to the other side of the lounge to talk to Rhodey.

"So I hear you're the newest employee at Stark Industries," the redhead commented with a smile to the former Deputy Director of SHIELD. She wondered what sort of ploy the brunette and her former boss were up to these days, as she didn't buy for one second that Hill would choose to work for Pepper Potts without ulterior motives.

"She is," Tony answered instead of Maria as he stood behind the bar and selected one of Natasha's favorite brands of vodka. "But she's actually going to be helping me with a new project."

"I thought you had signed Stark Industries over to Pepper years ago," Natasha noted with a raised eyebrow even as they all picked up their shot glasses and gulped down the vodka. After all, she remembered processing the paperwork herself, when she'd been undercover as Natalie Rushman.

"I did," Tony confirmed, slamming his glass on the counter and promptly filling it up again, doing the same to the other three glasses. "This is something else."

"So secretive," Clint noted, raising his eyebrows at him. "So not like you, Stark. What's up with that?"

"I'll tell everyone later on," Tony said with a casual shrug and a grin. "For now let's just enjoy the party."

"And how is the old boss doing?" Natasha turned back to Hill, curious as she hadn't talked to Fury since D.C.

"Quite well, considering he's supposed to be dead," Maria said with a smirk, before they all downed their shots once more.

"You didn't invite him to your shebang?" Clint said, turning to the man standing behind the bar.

"Believe it or not, I actually did," Tony said with a smile. "Didn't even get an answer."

"Like I said, he's supposed to be dead," Maria said with a shrug. "Besides, he doesn't like leaving his cat alone on these festive dates with all the fireworks. The poor guy gets too worked up."

"Fury has a cat?" Tony raised both eyebrows at her. "You're shitting me, right?"

"Oh no," Natasha said, her face all serious. "Fury has had Goose for as long as I've known him. He loves that little fur-ball."

"I don't believe this," Tony said, eyes alternating between staring at both women. "Capsicle! Come over here."

Steve had been walking by and dutifully came over when he heard him.

"Tony, if you're trying to get me drunk again, do I have to remind you of what happened last year?" The super soldier said with a smile as he joined them at the bar.

"What happened last year?" Clint asked with a curious smile, already feeling a good story coming up.

"His plan backfired completely, of course," Steve told him with a chuckle. "Tony, Rhodes and Bruce got drunk ridiculously fast while Nat and I were as sober as when we walked into the party."

"Then Pepper got super mad when the idiot metal heads wanted to reenact their fight from Tony's birthday party back in 2010 and nearly unleashed the Hulk in the process," Natasha drawled out as she threw Tony a smirk.

"Thank God Nat managed to calm Banner down or you might've needed to go through another reconstruction project," Steve commented, raising his eyebrows pointedly at the billionaire, though he still had an amused smile on his lips.

"Whatever, what's a minor scuffle between friends?" Tony said, quickly rolling his eyes and dismissing the whole incident. "Stop trying to distract me. Spangles, what do you know about this claim about Fury having a cat? Are these two pulling my leg or what?" He pointed an accusing finger at the two women.

"Fury has a cat?" Steve's eyebrows went up in his forehead with surprise at this as he turned to Natasha and Maria.

"Ha! See, I _knew_ you were messing with me," Tony said triumphantly as if that cinched the matter.

"Steve not knowing about it doesn't mean we're lying, Tin Man," Natasha said, rolling her eyes at him.

"Obviously, I didn't have clearance for this information," the blonde man said rather sarcastically.

"Well, you _were_ only Level 8 at SHIELD," Maria commented with a smirk as she downed another shot.

"Yeah, well I was Level 8 too, and I never heard anything about a cat," Clint commented with a grin. "But then I was never Fury's favorite, like the ladies here."

"You know, after this year and everything we found out, I wouldn't be surprised if Fury had a wife and kids hidden away somewhere all along," Steve commented, shaking his head as he accepted the shot glass Tony pushed his way.

No one noticed the lightning quick glance that Natasha and Clint exchanged or the smiles that tugged at the corners of their mouths before they also quickly downed their shots.

"Speaking of surprises, Tony is keeping something from you," Clint turned to the super soldier then. "Or from all of us, except Maria here, apparently."

"Do I even wanna know?" Steve asked Tony, raising his eyebrows a little in trepidation.

"Will you guys stop trying to ruin everything?" Tony rolled his eyes at Clint then. "I don't know why I was so insistent on you coming today. I'm gonna ban you from all future parties, Barton."

"No, you won't," Clint retorted with a chuckle. "I'm the only one here who can drink like you and actually get drunk and have a good time, unlike Banner who is a lightweight or Thor who isn't affected by this Midgardian excuse for mead, as he says, or these super serum types here who can't get drunk." He motioned with his head at Steve and Natasha.

"So _that's_ why you always manage to drink everyone under the table," Tony said, narrowing his eyes at the redhead.

"Technically, I _can_ get drunk," Natasha answered with a shrug. "It just takes a _lot_ of alcohol, and so far no one's managed to keep up with me." She smirked and wiggled her eyebrows up at them all.

"Steve, I think that was a challenge for you," Maria nudged him with her elbow as she threw him a smirk.

"Oh, this should be interesting," Clint said, rubbing his hands together in excitement at the prospect of a drinking competition between the super soldier and the super spy.

"Yeah, I don't think this is a good idea, guys," Steve shook his head and lifted his hands, palms out, as he chuckled back at them.

"What's the matter, soldier?" Natasha said softly then, looking up at him through her lashes. "Never thought you'd be one to back away from a challenge."

Tony and Clint promptly made a ridiculous 'oooh' high pitched noise as they leaned closer together over the counter and watched for Steve's reaction while Maria hid a laugh behind her hand. Meanwhile, there was a sudden new gleam in Steve's blue eyes as he gazed firmly back at the redhead.

"You know what, Nat? You're on," he said, a smirk pulling at his lips. While the guys were cheering and Tony was already picking up several bottles from behind the bar to start the competition, Steve then turned to him. "As long as Tony spills whatever it is he is keeping from us."

The billionaire stopped in his tracks, huffed out impatiently and rolled his eyes at him. "Okay, fine!" He exclaimed then, throwing his hands up exasperatedly. "I was gonna tell you all later, but what the hell? Hey, Banner! Point Break! Get over here!"

The doctor and the Asgardian looked over with mild confusion, bringing Jane along with them as they'd all been deep in conversation about her studies on the Convergence. As they approached the group at the bar, all attention turned to Tony.

"Okay, so I wanted you all to know I've started my own little project ever since that debacle back in spring when Cap and Red decided to cut all ties with their former employer in a rather dramatic way," he explained, motioning with his head at the two of them. "As you probably know, a lot of HYDRA bases didn't go down with those Insight helicarriers or the Triskelion and the US government and a lot of other countries are having a hard time fighting it back, now that SHIELD is gone. There's also the tiny matter that Loki's scepter is unaccounted for. _So_ I'm putting together my own version of the Avengers Initiative and I'd like to get the band back together on a more or less permanent basis."

"Wow, really?" Clint said, raising his eyebrows at this.

"Yep," Tony confirmed with a grin. "I've already got Hill here to help us out, bringing over all of her years of experience at SHIELD running ops or whatever it is you guys did. The funding is a-go, obviously. USA government liaison is tentatively in approval process, we still need to clear it with the EU and any other countries that might've been affected by HYDRA, but that should all be a matter of red tape now. The world needs the Avengers, guys."

Natasha and Clint exchanged a look, having a silent conversation of their own: he raised his eyebrows, she pursed her lips, he bobbed his head from side to side, she gave him a tiny nod. Natasha still needed to clear things out about her files in Europe and Clint would need to check with Laura on their plans for his retirement, but they both agreed that if Tony was asking them, then it was serious and they should do it.

"Well, I'm already working with you pretty much 24/7, so you know I'm in," Bruce said with a quiet smile. "As long as we keep The Other Guy away as much as possible."

"I would be honored to join you in battles once more, Stark." Thor gave him a wide grin in response.

"Anything that would help make us safe and keep this guy over here more often sounds good to me," Jane opined with a smile, circling her arm around Thor's waist.

"We're in," Natasha said, as Clint nodded along. "I'll need a few months to clear some things back in Europe, but after that you can count us in to take down HYDRA."

"There you go," Tony smiled brightly at that and focused back on the super soldier, who had remained silent through all of this. "Happy birthday, Cap! You have a team and a job once more. I'm assuming you're in, that is." He added, extending his hand to him.

Once more, Steve was left speechless as Tony pulled one more surprise on him. He could only smile and shake his head a little at his friend, gripping his offered hand tightly in his. "Yeah, I'm in."

"Yay!" Tony cheered briefly then started pulling out bottles from the bar and placing them on top of the counter. "Okay, now pick your poison. Red likes vodka, but we're almost done with that bottle, so I think it's only fair if we switch it up on preferences with every bottle."

Steve laughed a little at this. Only Tony would be so single-minded about a drinking competition, of course. "Bourbon," he answered, turning with a sideways smirk to Natasha, who only smiled and raised an eyebrow back in challenge.

As Clint explained to Thor, Jane and Bruce what was going on, Tony served the shots for them and the entire group started taking bets on who would be the first to fall victim to inebriation.

By the time sunset came upon them, both Steve and Natasha seemed as clear-eyed and sober as when they'd started drinking, despite the great amount of various liquor shots Tony served them. Finally agreeing on a temporary tie, the group made their way inside up to the open pool at the very top of the Tower, Tony handing them glasses of champagne out of nowhere, as usual, and they joined the throng of people that had gathered up to watch the sunset and await the fireworks.

As the sky darkened, Tony treated them all to his now-traditional fireworks show over the skyline of Manhattan. Standing with her friends, seeing their usually battle-worn faces illuminated by the multicolored lights, looking so relaxed and delighted at celebrating this moment and just being together like this, Natasha wondered what it was that she'd been running from and what family she'd gone chasing all the way back to Russia when the answers to her silent questions were all there right in front of her.


	4. 2015

**Disclaimer:** The Avengers, its characters and The Marvel Cinematic Universe belong to Marvel Studios and The Walt Disney Company, among many others. I'm only a fan, writing this for love of this film franchise and personal pleasure.

* * *

**Drawing Hope on the Skyline**

_2015_

If asked, Steve Rogers would say that this was probably his favorite Fourth of July so far.

Don't get him wrong, he appreciated Tony's efforts ever since the two of them became friends after the Battle of New York. The man could certainly be arrogant, aggravating and inconsequential, not to say a downright jackass at times, but he was also one of the most generous and caring people he'd ever met. The fact that he'd opened Stark Tower to all of them and insisted on changing it into the Avengers Tower should already be proof enough, let alone giving them all private apartments in the personal floors. When SHIELD fell, he'd stepped up and gathered the Avengers once more so that they could help keep the world a safer place. Then when came the need for change, he'd provided them with new facilities in upstate New York, even when Tony himself was thinking of retiring his suit.

And even if the billionaire was a far cry from the height of his party-throwing days, as Pepper, Rhodey and Natasha could attest to from previous experiences, Tony had been so ridiculously overjoyed at the idea that Captain America's birthday was on the Fourth of July that since they'd become friends it had been just about the only incentive he'd needed to bring in all the food, liquor and fireworks his money could buy to throw one snazzy celebration after another.

But this year, he'd gone a completely different route. No fancy cocktails or rotating servers or a crowded room at the party lounge at the Avengers Tower or boat rides off the coast of Manhattan. No, he'd decided they would have a simple all-day barbecue at the New Avengers facility with just their closest friends.

Most of the employees who worked at the compound had been released the day before to enjoy the long weekend with their families, loved ones or wherever else they'd like to be. On Saturday, Tony and Pepper drove up from Manhattan in the morning to meet the resident Avengers and start preparations. Then just before lunch Natasha brought in Clint and the whole Barton family over in one of the Quinjets to spend the weekend with them.

It was such a departure from their previous parties that Steve couldn't help but wonder at the motivations behind Tony's actions. He didn't think it had anything to do with his own preferences, despite the fact that for many years now he'd insisted with Tony that he didn't need any fancy parties to enjoy his birthday or the Fourth of July, that it would be enough to just spend time with their friends, drinking beer and having burgers. You know, like _regular_ people who weren't billionaire geniuses would usually do for birthdays or the national holiday.

Steve looked around for a moment, taking note of the people who were there celebrating the day with him. Maria Hill was having an animated discussion with Sam and Rhodey, something about their days back in the armed forces from the snippets of conversation he could hear now and then. Clint was manning the barbecue grill, seemingly content in flipping burgers and sausages, watching with a smile as Pepper and Laura traded recipes as they set the side dishes on the table nearby. Most surprising of all, Natasha and Wanda were running with the Barton kids in the field next to the river in what looked like a game of tag, their laughter mixing up with the kids' and bringing so much joy to his heart. He had been especially worried about both women lately, as they dealt with their recent losses and frustrations, separately and together.

Steve noted Tony had been busy in conversation with Vision. Whether it was a serious one or another of Tony's attempts at messing with the still socially challenged android, he couldn't tell. But as Vision left the billionaire's company to join the girls and the kids in their game, the super soldier grabbed two beers from the cooler and sat down on a lawn chair next to him, extending him one of the bottles.

"Hey, thanks." Tony smiled back at him, accepting the beer. "So how are things going with the new team? The new place working out for you? Need any adjustments?"

"No, the place is great," Steve assured him with a quiet smile. "We're getting there. Nat and I have our hands full with training and getting us all used to working together, but I'm sure we'll get there soon enough." After all, the original formation of the Avengers had needed some traction there before they got it going as well.

"Good, good," Tony nodded back at him, his smile giving way to a somewhat worried frown between his eyebrows. "Let me know if you guys need any upgrades, I'll be happy to tinker away at my lab if you have any ideas."

"Actually, Sam had this idea about something for his suit. He made a joke about training a pet falcon to help him out one day, but we thought that might be a good idea, provided it wasn't actually a living falcon, of course," Steve chuckled a little. "Like maybe a drone? I don't know, you'll know more about this stuff."

"Hummm, yes." Tony's face now had a concentrated look, his eyes intense as he could already see the schematics in his head. "I'll talk to him about it and get his input before we go. I'm sure I can have a prototype up and running on Monday."

"That's great, thanks." Steve smiled back at him.

"Anything else?" Tony asked, eyebrows raised as he brought his beer up for a sip before he continued. "How is the Maximoff kid doing?"

"She's doing better," he sighed a little, looking over at where Wanda was running from Lila, feinting a move and dodging her quickly, a big smile on her face and laughter ringing around them all. "The nightmares have been less frequent now, so a lot less damage to the compound. I think she's starting to feel more at ease with us. Nat has been really helpful with that, as she's practically mentoring her, going over some specialized training together, and after a bit of a rough start, they've really bonded now."

"Well, they have a lot in common, I guess," Tony said, arching an eyebrow as he looked out at both women for a moment. They came from countries that had been under the Soviet Union, Natasha could even speak the Sokovian dialect. They'd both been manipulated, experimented on, used by other people for their own agendas. They both understood loss and pain from a young age, having to grow stronger in order to survive.

Well, the last two could be said about a lot of them, actually.

"What about the tough guys over there?" Tony asked with a smile, making a head motion towards Rhodey and Sam, who were still talking to Hill. "Rhodey tells me he feels right at home here. Don't know about your buddy Wilson, but I imagine it's the same."

"Yeah, they're fitting right in," Steve confirmed with a light chuckle. "All the training, missions and the routine, it's not so different from our time serving. With considerably more comfortable living quarters, that is."

"Glad to be of service," he acknowledged the comment with a nod and a grin, tilting his beer bottle at him before bringing it up to take another sip.

"How about you, Tony?" Steve asked softly, tilting his head minimally to the side, looking attentively at him. "How's retirement treating you? What about the plans for building that farm for Pepper? I thought you would've moved by now." He added with a somewhat teasing smile.

"That's still under discussion," Tony told him, rueful smile on his lips now. "Pep is resistant in leaving Manhattan. Running SI from the Tower is so much easier with us already living there, plus all the restaurants and the theater district."

Steve raised his eyebrows in understanding, nodding back at him, privately wondering what was behind the words he wasn't telling him. Of course, Tony's retirement was only from the active combat duty aspects of the Avengers, strictly speaking. He was still very much involved with the team, working on their gear and equipment, and he still worked at the energy and tech divisions of Stark Industries in R&D. He'd never be able to just sit on his hands, of course.

"You're doing alright here, though?" Tony turned to him with the question as Steve got lost in his thoughts. "You called it home." He said it as a statement but there was a lilt in his voice almost like a question mark at the end of that sentence.

"I did and I am," Steve assured him at once with one of his quiet smiles, turning his head to look at their friends spread around the area surrounding them. "A lot of it is thanks to you, Tony. You've always welcomed me and helped me all the way, almost from the moment I came out of the ice."

"No need to get emotional on me, now," Tony rolled his eyes good-naturedly at him, though he also had a smile on his lips.

"I'm serious," Steve insisted in that earnest and disarming tone of voice of his. "The Avengers was your idea."

"Technically it was Fury's idea," Tony retorted at once, still with his amused smile. "And it's your team, I've always said that. I'm just the guy behind the stage, the guy in the chair making sure everything is up and running while you guys go out there and kick ass. Now more than ever."

"Having second thoughts?" Steve asked after a moment, which was something that had been on his mind for a while now. He could imagine how hard it would be for someone like Tony to step away, to stay behind and only watch when in many ways he'd been the one who had set them on this path from the moment he'd stepped out of that cave in Afghanistan.

"No," he said, almost too quickly then he sighed and continued. "Yes. I don't know. I mean, I know I like to live as if I were still a twenty something kid, but I'm not getting any younger. This whole avenging thing starts to take a toll, so I'm glad for the break. And Pepper can't be relieved enough that I'm not putting myself in danger anymore. But I think that… I don't know, I wasn't made to stay in the sidelines. It feels _wrong_, somehow. Like everything would just blow up because I decided to retire."

"I'd think the chances of things blowing up would diminish without you around, actually," Steve deadpanned at once.

"Oh _sarcasm_, Capsicle? Really? _Now_?" Tony lifted an eyebrow back at him but there was a smirk playing at his lips, as he was torn between feeling exasperated at being treated in such a way when he was actually opening up for once and weirdly proud that Steve would be such a jackass right then.

Steve returned him a quick shit-eating grin. "But seriously Tony, we're going to be fine," he said, trying for as reassuring a tone of voice as he could to get the message through to him. "You don't need to be the man in the suit to do your part in protecting the world. You're already giving us everything you could. Just like your dad before you, when we worked together during the war and later, when he helped build SHIELD."

"Yeah, he did that for you, too," Tony said, giving him a smile. "After all, don't know if you noticed or anything, but there's a reason it was called _SHIELD_."

"Right," Steve said, rolling his eyes in good humor, but quickly got back to the point he was trying to make. "He was always about helping us fight the good fight, and he didn't need to be the one marching headlong into the battlefield for that. His inventions were way more valuable than his physical presence there. He saved my life quite a few times. It was his own way to walk on the same path as us. You could do the same now."

"Yeah, maybe," Tony said, giving him a grateful and appraising smile all at once. "I just get this nagging thought in the back of my mind that maybe I'd feel a lot better if there was someone here who could actually take my place, you know. Someone to put on the suit and keep Iron Man going."

"Those are some very big shoes to fit," Steve told him then. "For starters, it would have to be someone who understands all about that electronic crap you're always talking about. Besides, I don't think you'd actually _like_ seeing someone else in one of your suits, Mr. I-Am-Iron-Man."

"_Touché_, Cap," Tony chuckled then, slightly shaking his head at the thought that Steve Rogers got to a point that he was so comfortable around him that he was joking, partaking in quite a few wise words and throwing some hard truths back at him all at once.

"Food is ready!" Clint suddenly announced from his spot by the grill, and Laura called to her kids to go wash up and sit down for lunch.

Natasha and Wanda ushered Cooper and Lila back in to wash up while Laura quickly checked on the still sleeping baby Nate. As everyone walked up to the table to get their food, Steve and Tony got up from their chairs to join them and the billionaire stopped the super soldier for a moment with a hand on his shoulder. "Thank you, Steve." He told with, warmth in his voice and a sincere smile on his face.

"Don't mention it," Steve shook his head and returned the smile.

It really was Steve's favorite Fourth of July, he thought once more to himself later on, after night had fallen as they all sat around a campfire roasting smores, drinking beer, talking and laughing together as Tony's fireworks lit up the sky above them.


	5. 2016

**Disclaimer:** The Avengers, its characters and The Marvel Cinematic Universe belong to Marvel Studios and The Walt Disney Company, among many others. I'm only a fan, writing this for love of this film franchise and personal pleasure.

* * *

**Drawing Hope on the Skyline**

_2016_

Natasha knew this was going to be hard for Steve. It would be his first birthday, the first Fourth of July since waking up in the 21st century that he wouldn't get to spend the festivities with Tony.

She knew both men could drive each other crazy. She'd also experienced her fair share of frustration when dealing with either of them, that's for sure. The super soldier and the billionaire were opposites when it came to a few fundamentals: Tony's jaded, pragmatic, big-picture-end-of-the-line worldviews and Steve's unwavering moral compass, optimism, little-picture-individual-liberties ideals putting them on different ends of the spectrum. Yet they were both driven by their shared desire to be better and to protect the world, deeply understanding the meaning of sacrifice, each in their own way. For many years, that had been enough to keep them going, working together towards a common goal and maintaining their friendship. Now both men's stubbornness, pride and sheer strong personalities made them too similar in all the ways that would not let them compromise to find a middle ground and the way they'd fallen out had created a chasm between them, tearing the team apart in the process.

Steve had reached out first, of course. For all his faults, he'd always be the first to admit to his mistakes. And he knew he'd screwed up bad by keeping the truth about Howard and Maria Stark's deaths from Tony. So he tried to do what he could to repair all the damage he'd done, first by sending that letter and the disposable phone to Tony, hoping he'd someday get in contact with him, then going out to the Raft to break out his friends who'd stuck out their necks for him. That was where Natasha had come back to his side, as she'd infiltrated into the Raft, knowing he would eventually show up there and together they'd taken their friends out of prison.

Natasha had also arranged for a deal with the FBI for Clint and Scott, so that they'd go home to their families, as it would be too hard on them if they just stayed on the run with them. She cashed in many favors and twisted a lot of arms to make that happen, but it was worth it. She wouldn't let Clint and Laura in special be apart and suffer for something she felt were her and Steve's mistakes in the first place.

Now they were both doing what they could with their situation, and it was just the four of them ─ Steve, Natasha, Sam and Wanda ─ on the run, keeping low for the moment as they rested a bit and recovered from everything. Wanda was having a hard time controlling her powers after her traumatic experience at the Raft, so Natasha had taken them all to a safe house she had on a remote island in Fiji. The cottage was close to a village yet far removed enough that no locals would bother them, and being in the famous area of the Pacific ring of fire no one would notice if Wanda's nightmares got too much and caused mini-earthquakes during the night, as it would happen at times.

So here they were, in a quintessentially paradisiacal location, almost as if they were having a vacation, if not for the deep scars and heavy burdens they all carried. It was the Fourth of July, and it was just the four of them, and Steve had celebrated four of his birthdays with Natasha so far, but it didn't seem they would celebrate a fifth. It didn't feel like much of a celebration, as he'd been growing more somber and serious as the days went by. The darker, longer hair and the beard he'd grown at her suggestion to disguise his appearance a bit also added to his graver look.

When she got up that morning, Steve was already gone from the cottage. That was a common occurrence, of course. He was always a ridiculously early riser, getting up before sunrise to get his morning run in. But when she left her bedroom and got into the kitchen she found both Sam and Wanda already up and sitting at the breakfast table and she was a little surprised, as Sam would usually go with Steve on his runs.

"Hey, good morning," she greeted them, running her hand through her current honey blonde dyed hair as she got a mug from the cupboard and served herself some coffee.

They returned her greeting and smiled slightly as she joined them at the table. As she sipped her coffee and pulled a plate of fruits and other local breakfast food towards her, she watched her friends attentively. They looked a lot better now than when they'd first broken out of the Raft nearly two months before. Sam had healed from his injuries quickly enough, naturally. And Wanda was looking better rested that morning than she had for the last week, as it was the first time in days that she'd managed to sleep through the whole night without any nightmares, which was also why Natasha had slept in.

"Steve not back from your morning run yet?" She asked, turning to Sam with curious eyes.

"Yeah, no," Sam said, suddenly shifting uncomfortably in his seat as he looked back at her. "He did come back with me, but went back out after taking a quick shower and gulping down breakfast. Told us not to worry and that he'd probably be out the whole day."

Natasha raised her eyebrows in surprise at this, then she narrowed her eyes and pursed her lips into a thin line as her whole expression darkened considerably in a second.

"I know what you're gonna say," Sam said preemptively, holding his hands up, palms out in a placating gesture. "But he was really insistent about that and I thought it was best to give him a little space, at least for a while."

Natasha kept looking at him with her eyes narrowed for another beat, then her rigid posture seemed to deflate a little as she sighed and looked down at the table instead. Sam released a breath of his own that he hadn't noticed he'd been holding so far. As much as Natasha was his friend and he knew she only had their best interests at heart, she still scared the crap out of him at times.

"I was the one who told him to give Steve some space," Wanda said, turning to Natasha then with concerned eyes. "I could feel that if we crowded him too much it could be worse. He needs to clear his head and think to himself a little."

Natasha furrowed the space between her eyebrows in consternation. She knew all about giving time and space to other people, after all, she wasn't all that inclined into opening up to others as well and she valued her privacy and alone time. But _Steve_ spending time alone with his thoughts right now may not have been the best idea, either. It would be too perfect an opportunity for him to beat himself up mentally over everything that had happened.

"And actually, I thought we could use this opportunity to talk," Wanda added then after a moment, her eyes fleeting between her two friends in apprehension. "I think we need to come up with a new plan."

"What do you mean?" Natasha asked, still frowning in thought at that.

"Look, I appreciate everything you've been doing for me," Wanda said, giving them both a small smile. "I know we came all the way here to help me recover from everything. And I feel like I'm getting better each day, but you guys are about to go stir-crazy just sitting around, doing nothing."

"What are you talking about?" Sam said dismissively, giving her an easy smile and waving his hand around. "This is the first break I've had in like two years. No complaining here, honestly."

"Same for me," Natasha shrugged her shoulders easily.

"You guys remember I'm a telepath, right?" Wanda said, raising a rather dry eyebrow at them.

"Yeah, and what did we talk about listening without being invited in?" Natasha retorted promptly, narrowing her green eyes at the Scarlet Witch.

"I know, I shouldn't do it, but there are times that I can't help it. You know my powers have been all over the place," Wanda said with a rather helpless and despondent shrug of the shoulders. "Besides, sometimes it's not thoughts exactly that I get, but more like the mood or general feelings you have. I know things have been tense lately and I don't think we can keep this up for much longer."

"Before we decide on anything we want to do, you have to get back on your feet," Natasha argued, crossing her arms over her chest. "We can't go out there running the risk that you may lose control of your powers. It could be dangerous and we know Ross would be able to track us down that way as well."

"I know, that's something I'm working on," Wanda agreed, nodding her head back at her. "And this was actually something else I wanted to discuss with you. Please don't freak out, but I talked to Vision last night."

"What?" Natasha said, her voice deadly quiet as she merely arched an eyebrow back at the younger woman.

Meanwhile, Sam's eyebrows shot up in his forehead at this. "Hold on, what do you mean you talked to Vision? How? Where?" He asked, frowning in confusion, as he was pretty sure no one had come into their house and she hadn't left during the night either, and other than Steve's burner and Natasha's encrypted phone they were out of range of communications with anyone.

"This is going to sound really weird, but I saw him in my dreams," she carried on with her explanation.

"How do you know that wasn't just a dream?" Natasha asked, less tense than a moment before at hearing her words.

"Because it wasn't," Wanda said, turning her hands up, opening and closing her fingers in a simple, matter-of-fact gesture. "I don't know how to explain it, but I know it was him and I know it was real. I think we are connected somehow, because of the Mind Stone."

Natasha flickered one eyebrow up as she thought about that. Well, they were talking about an enhanced human who had gained telepathic and telekinetic powers due to experimentation with the Mind Stone and an android that now carried within his synthetic, vibranium-mesh body said Mind Stone. Basically, this was all space magic, so who's to say what was or wasn't possible?

"Okay. What did you talk about?" Natasha asked after a moment.

"He thinks he can help me get back in control of my powers," she said, biting her lip, gauging their reactions to this. "We talked about actually meeting in person, in a few days."

"Okay, hold on," Sam said, furrowing his forehead and holding one of his hands up. "How do we know this is not a trap? Like, I don't know, Tony getting Vision to talk to you to get us back into the Raft?"

"He wouldn't do that," Natasha said, even before Wanda could say anything in reply. Tony could sometimes be a jackass and he may have been hurt and mad at her and Steve, but he didn't want to get them all thrown in jail, that much she knew. If he'd wanted to find them, he would've done so in the past two months. As good as she was at taking precautions and keeping them safe, Tony had access to way better technology, so she had already figured out they were only walking around unencumbered for so long because he was probably actually covering for them instead of helping Ross track them down.

"Exactly," Wanda said, nodding emphatically. "And Vision would never do anything to hurt me, not intentionally. I trust him with my life, but it's more than that. We get each other. We have a connection. I know _you_ know what that's like." She reached across the table and covered Natasha's hands with hers, desperate to make her understand.

Natasha blinked up her eyes at that. For a moment, she felt like pulling her hands away, protesting or possibly ignoring her statement or even manipulating Wanda and turning the tables on her. All of these thoughts and feelings crossed her mind in a few milliseconds and she dismissed them all just as quickly. No point lying to a telepath, right? Wanda was opening up to her and running a risk here, she might as well do the same.

"I do," Natasha said at last, nodding once firmly back at her. Wanda smiled in relief back at her while Sam merely raised an eyebrow at this, glancing between the two women. "Okay. I'll talk to Steve."

"Thank you." Wanda gave her a bright, grateful smile in return.

It turned out that was easier said than done, as Steve really made good on his promise and didn't return to the house for the rest of the day. At sunset, Natasha decided to track him down. He didn't seem to be hiding so much, as she was able to pick up on his trail easily enough. Following what had already become one of the familiar trails that led to a remote beach close to their cottage, she found him sitting alone on a beach towel on the deserted stretch of sand, his elbows supported on his bent knees, hands hanging loosely in front of him as he stared out at the ocean and the image of the setting sun.

She stood back and watched him for a moment, still unused at seeing him so casually dressed in beach shorts and a cotton, short-sleeved shirt. With his longer hair and full beard he really did look like just another guy on vacation in paradise. But then it was part of the plan, she thought looking down at herself, as she was also like just another tourist in her light denim shorts and bikini top, her long slightly wavy honey blonde hair flowing down her back.

Coming up to him with light footsteps, she quietly stepped out of her flip-flops and sat down next to him, stretching her legs out in front of her and crossing them at the ankles as she supported her weight back on her hands. He didn't react at seeing her there with him, but she thought she saw from the corner of her eye how his lips pulled into the slightest smile.

She waited for him to speak first, knowing all about being patient and waiting it out. They were content to just sit together for a few minutes, the silence stretching comfortably around them broken only by the sound of the gentle waves and other sounds of nature surrounding them. "I guess it's already Fourth of July back home, huh?" He commented quietly, eyes never leaving the setting sun.

"Humm, about one in the morning or so, I think," she said softly, mentally calculating the time difference, bobbing her head left and right as she also gazed out at the view before them. After a moment, she tilted her head and looked at him. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," he breathed out, turning to her with a small smile. One of his eyebrows flickered up as he noticed the bottle of vodka peeking out of the beach bag propped up on the sand, sitting next to her hip.

"Up to doing some shots with me, birthday boy?" She asked with a smile as she followed his eyesight.

"Eh, why not?" He shrugged his shoulders easily, angling his body towards her and turning to sit cross-legged now.

"I don't actually have a shot glass, so bottoms up," she smirked, wiping the sand from her hands before reaching into the bag and handing him the bottle, pulling her knees up and wrapping her arms around her legs.

He smirked back at her and quietly obliged, bringing the bottle up to his lips and taking a long gulp before passing it back to her, and she did the same. "I don't know why you bother wasting your 'vodka martini' vodka on me, seeing as it doesn't affect me." He commented, referencing the fact that apparently she kept all her safe houses stocked for vodka martini.

"I don't get drunk either, but I like the taste and it's part of a social ritual," she said, raising an eyebrow at him and tilting her head a little to the side.

"Yeah, you don't fool me, Nat," he said with a light chuckle. "I know that that year we did the drinking competition you eventually got drunk. You were just very good at covering up in front of everybody."

"Oh really?" She merely raised an eyebrow at him.

"Yeah, really," he insisted, giving her one firm nod of the head as he looked steadily back at her.

They kept staring each other down for awhile, until she finally relented, shaking her head a little as a smile formed on her lips. "How did you know?" She asked with wonder in her voice, as she passed him the bottle back. She didn't think anyone had noticed before, not even Clint ─ although with the amount of alcohol he'd consumed that night as well, it should've been easy to miss it.

"Your eyes," he said with an easy shrug. "There was a different gleam in them, and sometimes they'd go unfocused for a couple of seconds."

"Why didn't you call me out on it?" She asked in curiosity. She was also a little surprised to find out he'd paid such close attention to her.

"Well technically I only noticed it after we had already agreed on the tie," he told her with a grin, taking another sip from the bottle. "Besides, Tony had bet against you and I had a feeling he'd become unbearably obnoxious if he won that bet."

"He would," she huffed out and a light laugh escaped her lips then, taking the bottle from him and taking a long gulp.

He chuckled back a little, but then the smile left his face as he looked out at the setting sun once more. Natasha furrowed her eyebrows as she noticed this. "Steve." She knew he'd already spent the entire day thinking of Tony, wallowing in his pain and going over all his past mistakes, picking at wounds that hadn't really closed and probably never would. She would not let him do that anymore.

"I know," he simply sighed in reply, turning back to look at her in another moment. He knew what she was doing, knew the words she would say, as it wouldn't be the first time she'd done so.

As the two of them communicated in their own wavelength, Natasha couldn't help but think back to Wanda's words that morning. She _did_ know what it was like to trust someone with her life, to have a bond, a connection there. To understand each other without needing any words yet at the same time to be unafraid to voice out loud the haunting words that sometimes rattled around in her mind, words that she wouldn't want to say to others but that she could share with someone who got it, who got _her_. And she was very lucky, because she actually had two guys in her life that fit that description. One was back in the US, safe with his wife and kids. And the other was right here sitting beside her now.

Unsurprisingly, Steve seemed to go through a similar thought process then, as his intense blue eyes looked deep into her green eyes, as if he could see past the surface straight to her core. He took the bottle from her, but instead of bringing it up to sip from it, he placed it on the sand next to him and held her hand firmly in his.

"I don't think I've said this enough," he told her with a quiet smile. "I am really glad you found us, found _me _again, and that you're here, Nat. If I had lost you, too…" He trailed off, shaking his head a little as his eyes gazed downwards at their hands.

The fact that she was here with him after everything was more important than what he seemed capable to express with words. More than anyone, Natasha had been the one constant in his life for the past four years. From tentative teammates to partners to leaders to outlaws now, they had become true friends and there was an unshakable bond between them that not even standing on different sides of a fight had broken.

Hurting then leaving Tony behind had been almost too much to bear. Bucky deciding to go back under the ice to keep everyone safe from him was understandable, but that had left him feeling so alone. He'd been able to keep going after that because there were people who needed him, his friends who had been imprisoned for helping him. But Steve had felt so much relief and gratitude, as he also marveled at how much Natasha knew him then, by infiltrating the Raft knowing he would come around to break their friends so they could all go on the run together.

"Hey. I'm here and I'm not going anywhere." Natasha told him, voice firm but her smile was gentle as she squeezed his hand reassuringly. "Don't waste time worrying about it. You're stuck with me, soldier."

"Feels like the other way around, honestly," he looked up at her again, the corners of his mouth twitching up. "If you hadn't let me go in Leipzig, Ross wouldn't be after you now."

In fact, every time he'd thought she was walking out of his life ─ after the Battle of New York, after D.C., in Sokovia when he'd told Bruce to get her out and take her away, now with that mess over Bucky, Tony and the Accords ─ she'd somehow gotten back to stand next to him, again and again.

"If I hadn't let you go in Leipzig, I wouldn't have been myself," she countered with a rueful smile. "I knew what I was doing, Steve. I'd never meant to fight you, I was only trying to get you to come in to stop Ross from going after you with a kill squad on orders to shoot first and ask questions later. Letting you go was the only option for me."

"Still, you had worked so hard to go straight and be on right ride," he insisted. He knew all about how she thought she owed the world a debt, how she had red on her ledger and everything she did was to try to wipe it clean. "Now you had to go on the run because of me."

"I _am_ on the right side," she said, still looking at him with a soft smile. "Doing what's right and following the law are not always the same thing. Stop trying to make me regret it, because that's not gonna happen. I chose to stand with you and I'm staying."

Steve looked deeply back at her, blue eyes fleeting between her green ones then, in that way he had that seemed to peel away her many layers, getting past the Black Widow to find the Natasha Romanoff underneath it all, as if he could really _see_ her. It sent shivers down her back and as he still had his hand wrapped around hers she wasn't sure he couldn't feel it as well.

"Now I know you're not in a very celebratory mood, but it _is_ your birthday," she said, her smile morphing into one of her smirks, as she tried to distract herself and maybe even him from the intense feeling of vulnerability he brought onto her then. "It would be a shame to let it pass in blank. How about we get back to the house and join Sam and Wanda? I think they were going to bake you a cake."

"Sorry." He half grimaced, half smiled apologetically back at her. "I know I haven't been the easiest to be around lately ─"

"Stop apologizing." She interrupted him at once, determined to not let him fall to his self-flagellating ways. "No more being gloomy and down today. We need to do something fun! What do you want to do?" She nudged him with her shoulder as she smiled back at him.

"I don't know, I'm not sure being a wanted criminal on the run gives me a lot of options." He gave her a rueful smile then, and paused for a moment as he seemed to contemplate something. "If this was your birthday, what would you want to do?"

Her smile pulled up at the corners of her lips and she said the words before she'd consciously thought it through. "I would do whatever I wanted to do, with whomever I wanted to do it with." Many years before, she'd said those words to Tony as she read and manipulated him, playing the role of the enigmatic, alluring Natalie Rushman as she assessed him. Now she found that what she was telling Steve was actually the truth.

The effect her words had on him was not something she had accounted for. His pupils seemed to blow up then, dilating with unmistakable desire, his darkening blue eyes gazing unwaveringly back at her green ones and flickering down to her lips for a moment. The very air around them seemed to crackle with electricity all of a sudden and she felt her breath hitching in her throat as everything happened all at once, yet in a way it seemed like time had slowed down somehow. She felt acutely aware of his hand that was still holding hers, gripping it more firmly now yet still tenderly as if he'd felt she was suddenly going to bolt, but she stayed put next to him unable to move away even if she'd wanted to. He entwined his fingers with hers and pulled her to him, even as his other hand came up to trace her jaw and cradle her face, leaning towards her and glancing down at her lips one more time, almost like a warning or asking for permission, before finally closing the gap between them and capturing her lips with his own.

Steve kissed her and Natasha kissed him back, both feeling in synch as they'd always felt in training, in battlefields, in life or death situations. His lips felt familiar, yet the way he kissed her was nothing like the tense and hurried kiss they'd shared on an escalator at the mall years before when they'd been on the run from SHIELD-cum-HYDRA. He moved against her lips like he knew exactly what he wanted, firm and gentle, passionate and caring all at once. She bit his lower lip and opened her mouth, inviting him in, gasping and shivers running down her back as she felt his tongue sliding like velvet against hers.

She felt on fire, desire burning her through her lips as if she were sipping on liquid fire, heat pouring down her mouth and going straight to her core, making her heart pound faster in her chest and butterflies dance madly in the pit of her stomach. By kissing her now and crossing this invisible barrier that had existed between them, he'd broken through her defenses and she could no longer ignore every want, every whim, every wayward thought she'd had about him ever since they'd met, everything she'd kept neatly away in order to be his friend and partner, to be the person he'd asked her to be on a "borrowed" truck years before. The dam had broken and she felt this rush of feelings rocking through her body, and she could feel he wanted this, wanted _her_, somehow desired her just as much as she did him.

Steve felt as surprised as her by his actions, a part of himself looking with admiration from outside at how bold he'd been and how it had paid off. He'd always held back, respecting her need to keep this distance between them, feeling her try to build her walls back around herself every time he got too close. He knew she disliked feeling vulnerable, but he couldn't help getting close to her, wanting to know who she really was. She'd always been too much of an enigma, a mystery he'd wanted to unravel from the moment he'd met her on that helicarrier, the former Russian spy who had partnered up with Captain America. She was beautiful, alluring and deadly. But what he'd found underneath it all was so much more, how warm, funny, caring she was and how much of a good heart she had, what a beautiful soul she was. Yet she didn't seem to see it herself, which just made him want to stay close to her to remind her of that.

He'd been struggling with what she meant to him, as she'd basically thrown everything away to help him and go on the run once more. She was his friend, his partner, his right hand. He trusted her with his life, she'd saved it more times than he could count. And here she was, making sure he didn't get too deep into his dark thoughts, bringing light around him once more. When she'd said those words ─ _I would do whatever I wanted to do, with whomever I wanted to do it with_ ─ it had been such a Natasha Romanoff answer and something just seemed to snap inside of him. Within his maelstrom of raging emotions, he suddenly knew one thing as clear as those brilliant green eyes in front of him: he wanted her.

He could see how she saw it in his eyes, reading him as easily as he could read her at times, her own eyes darkening with what he hoped was desire as well, as she held her breath when he leaned into her. So for once he was following what she'd said and giving in to what he wanted, deciding to ask for forgiveness instead of permission, if it came to that. He'd kissed her and felt sparks flying between as she kissed him back and opened herself to him, finally tasting her sweetness underneath the bite of the vodka still on her lips.

He felt intoxicated, drowning in her as she ignited so many feelings that had been simmering just beneath the surface all this time. His heart fluttered and struggled against his rib cage, and he couldn't seem to get enough of her. Threading his fingers through her hair, he felt her shift closer as her free hand crawled up the wall of his chest and snaked around his neck, fingers playing with his hair and sending shivers down his back.

They finally broke apart and gasped for breath, after what seemed like an eternity of kissing and tentatively exploring each other. He kept his eyes closed and pressed his forehead gently against hers. "I'm sorry, I should have ─"

She didn't let him finish that sentence, placing one finger delicately against his lips. "Stop apologizing." She said and he opened his eyes to find her smirking at him. Suddenly moving swiftly and gracefully, she looped one leg over his and lifted herself, her knees coming to straddle his hips as she unceremoniously sat on his lap, her hands gently cradling his bearded jaw and tilting his head up to her as he could only stare back at her, mesmerized by her movements. "Stop talking."

He gave her one beautiful, heart-stopping grin at that, suddenly making her feel as if she were naked in front of him and she was pretty sure if she weren't sitting on his lap already her knees would've turned to jelly. "Yes, ma'am." One hand tilted her chin down as he brought his lips back to hers, his other hand running up her back and holding her securely to him. She threaded both her hands through his hair, letting a low moan escape as he gently bit her lip and tasted her once more.

They let their hands and lips explore each other, their bodies learning to communicate in a whole new way. Fingertips traced curves and dips, ragged edges and smooth plains, leaving behind a blazing trail of fire tingling in their skins as slowly pieces of clothing were peeled away and discarded. It was an unhurried process, both reveling in all the feelings and sensations they caused each other, studying and cataloguing reactions with her analytical mind and his artist's eye. Both felt a pleasant buzzing of nervousness as they careened forward, unable and unwilling to stop, too consumed in their mutual desire, suddenly feeling as if their road together had been taking them down this path the whole time.

In that white sanded beach, under the darkening sky and with the cooling air lapping at their heated bodies, they chased desire and connected as one, experiencing a different kind of fireworks exploding in their eyes, blue and green burning and threatening to consume everything in their path. If that was the case, they would gladly give in to each other every time. As long as they had each other, they knew they could handle anything that came their way.

* * *

A.N.: This story is now complete, but I might continue exploring this in other pieces. This is taking To Build a Home and deviating from the original premise, as Steve and Nat are not supposed to get together in that story until the very end when I reach the events of Lights Will Guide You Home. But a part of me can't help but want to explore what would've happened if they'd gotten together earlier when they were on the run. So this is kind of like an AU of my own fanfiction, I guess.


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